2023-04-20 19:32:23
A totally unexpected, new and original show generally sets the tone for a festival. At the Printemps de Bourges 2023, saxophonist and singer Thomas de Pourquery was given carte blanche to fulfill this role with panache. The Gothic setting of the Jacques-Coeur Palace in Bourges, listed in the Center des Monuments Nationaux (CMN), inspired him to create a festive rock “happening” that borrows from theatre, improvisation, and is enriched with the polyphonies of a local choir Art & Miz. It will be played three times in Bourges, on April 19, 20 and 21, sold out.
Monument visit, with a stroll through the upper rooms and stairs of the medieval palace, and rock concert with an amazing group of musicians, this “carte blanche” constantly surprises, with its poetry and delirium placed under the sign of crazy Love. “When I discovered the Jacques-Coeur palace, I saw it as a medieval spaceship carried skyward. Even its architecture with its side buildings in the shape of small wings invites to spiritual journey. This magical place exudes love since Jacques Coeur built it for his lady, Macée de Léodepart. I fell in love with it,” says Thomas de Pourquery.
The actor Christophe Paou embodies Jacques Coeur
The saxophonist and singer dreams of “Get this ship off the ground” which bears in front the motto of its lord, “with a valiant heart nothing is impossible”. He organizes an interior journey starting from the courtyard, going from surprise to surprise. Here, Jacques Coeur himself (Christophe Paou), slumped in an armchair, hums My Way at karaoke. There, a magician with an elven face and long black locks (Akemi Fujimori) lets a keyboard of hovering music fly away. Further on, a crazy do-it-yourselfer (Étienne Jaumet), dressed in a garnet dressing gown, a soft hat and boots, fiddles with a synthesizer facing outward, wires, buttons and connections visible.
At the top of a spiral staircase, a rock drummer with sunglasses (David Aknin) beats out a heady rhythm. At the end of a corridor, Macée de Léodepart, a surly bride (Céline Fuhrer), haunts the visitors… The choristers of Art & Miz lead the public to the dizziness, before bringing it back to the banquet hall. Joined by bassist Sylvain Daniel, the whole troupe gathers in this ceremonial place adorned with a monumental stone fireplace, under the leadership of master of ceremonies Thomas de Pourquery, with a glam rock with his golden beard and striped jacket.
In 2022, the banquet hall of the Jacques-Coeur palace welcomed Michel Houellebecq, who read his poems there with young actors in an intimate atmosphere. The 2023 creation, flamboyant and masterful, sounds like the rock celebration of a trance of love.
On saxophone as on vocals, Thomas de Pourquery retains the lush inspiration that defined the style of his Supersonic jazz sextet, but morphs into electro rock, hovering and groovy, huge sound. Bourges marks a turning point for him. For the first time, he presents the musicians of his new rock group and gives visitors the first taste of the love songs written for his next album, scheduled for 2024.
M’s pogo among his fans
Invited for the first time by the current music festival, he joins the rock pantheon which snorts on all the stages of Bourges. M (Matthieu Chedid), who inaugurated this 47th Spring with a joyful pogo, dancing guitar slung over his shoulder in the middle of his fans on his song I say love. Lomepal, who came from rap, who was crowned rock star, late on the night of April 19 by more than 6,000 spectators who were asking for more. Juliette Armanet and her great disco thrill on April 20…
Immersed in this cauldron of emotions, Thomas de Pourquery is exalted: “I like the opening of the music. She gives hope. Making beautiful things can only make people feel good, make them happier. I have faith in this thought. »
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Sharp increase in festival budgets
The average budget of music festivals in France increased by 19% between 2019 and 2022, reveals a study by the National Music Center (CNM) published on April 20 in Bourges. This budget per festival is on average 1.5 million euros.
Rising costs (+19%) is higher than that of receipts (+18%), a gap which widens for the smallest festivals. In question, the increase in technical charges (+ 21%) and artists’ fees (+ 21%).
The festival’s own revenue growing more slowly (+14%) than public (+28%) and private (+21%) funding. The average ticket price rose to €32 in 2022 (+10% compared to 2019). The number of programmed groups increases by 8%.
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